Kylie Cosmetics Counterfeit Makeup: Everything You Need to Know

Counterfeit beauty products aren't new. People have been knocking off popular brands for years, and now it looks like Kylie Cosmetics counterfeit makeup might be a thing, too. Some Kylie Jenner fans have been buying fake Lip Kits and Kyshadow palettes online at third-party sellers through sites including Amazon and eBay with some disastrous results. Jenner herself spoke out about it on Twitter and Snapchat last night, going so far as to retweet some of the more extreme cases. One girl reported that she thought her Koko K lipstick must be fake because of the sticky consistency and bottle size discrepancy from other Lip Kits. Another tweeted that the writing on her possibly-faux Candy K is starting to come off with use. And those aren't even the dangerous ones.

Jenner retweeted a Twitter user who says the lip kit she thought was Kylie's smells like paint. That might mean it contains some really icky chemicals. According to the a report from the U.K.'s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) back in 2015, they found everything from arsenic to mercury in counterfeit foundations, lip glosses, and mascaras. Of course we don't know what's in this girl's makeup, but putting these dangerous ingredients on your face could make you sick. Jenner shared another girl's story where she says her lips literally stuck together after buying fakes, and another who says it made her lips swell (eek). Here is a clip where a user shows the effects of what she says is glue in a counterfeit Koko K lipstick she got. (It's gross—seriously.)

The scariest part about this whole thing: Many didn't even know they were buying Kylie Cosmetics counterfeit makeup. They just thought they were scoring a deal from a trusted reseller who maybe sprung for a Kylie product and then decided not to hold onto it. Websites like kyliecosmeticsoutlet.com look legit, but Kylie herself has called it out and told fans to not be fooled. There are dozens of Facebook groups that target teens who might not know the difference between real and fakes.

It's true that Kylie Cosmetics isn't cheap. You can argue that $29 for a lipstick and lipliner is expensive or affordable depending on what you usually buy, but either way, it's not worth the risk to buy fakes online. Cosmetic chemist Ni’Kita Wilson agrees. "The problem with Amazon and eBay [third-party sellers] is that you have no idea how the products were acquired," she tells Allure. "Purchasing directly from the brand's website or a reputable retail store that is supported by the brand is the only way to guarantee that you're getting the real deal."

If you really want a Kylie Lip Kit, it's worth it to just save up the money and buy the real deal straight from kyliecosmetics.com. You can also purchase a similar product from a trusted, affordable brand that you know won't effect your health, because really, no makeup is worth that.